Vieux Farka Touré in Concert at the FAC!

The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center and KRCC have partnered to bring award-winning Malian guitarist and vocalist Vieux Farka Touré to the FAC's SaGaJi Theatre for a special concert!

Often referred to as “The Hendrix of the Sahara”, Vieux Farka Touré was born in Niafunké, Mali in 1981. He is the son of legendary Malian guitar player Ali Farka Touré, who died in 2006.  Ali Farka Touré came from a historical tribe of soldiers, and defied his parents in becoming a musician. When Vieux was in his teens, he declared that he also wanted to be a musician. His father dissaproved due to the pressures he had experienced being a musician. Rather, he wanted Vieux to become a soldier. But with help from family friend the kora maestro Toumani Diabaté, Vieux eventually convinced his father to give him his blessing to become a musician shortly before Ali passed.

"His live performances are highly energized and Vieux is known for dazzling crowds with his speed and dexterity on the guitar, as well as his palpable charisma and luminous smile, both of which captivate audiences from all audiences in spite of any language barriers"

Check out some of his performances here:

On this first album, Vieux pays homage to his father and follows Ali’s musical tradition, giving new versions of the West African music that is echoed in the American blues.On his second record, Fondo on Six Degrees (2009), Vieux branched out and presented his own sound: while remaining true to the roots of his father’s music he uses elements of rock, Latin music, and other African influences. The album received a great deal of critical acclaim from across the globe, and Vieux was clearly moving out of his father’s shadow. You can learn more about Vieux Farka Touré's journey on his website!

"Vieux Farka Touré has clearly established himself as one of the world’s rare musical talents and guitar virtuosos with a distinct style that always pays homage to the past while looking towards the future"

Vieux Farka Touré
Monday, Aug. 5 | 7p | Buy Tickets!
$25; $15* FAC Members & KRCC Members (*quantities are limited)
Invite your friends!

Pippin: What's Happening In The Costume Shop?

YouthRep's production of the Tony award-winning musical Pippin is just a few days away! The show tells the story of a young prince on a death-defying journey to find meaning in his existence. We've got a fantastic crew of kids acting in the show, but who's making all of their costumes? Here's a window into the busy FAC Costume Shop...

Chock-full of Pippin costumes!

Fangio in the Costume Shop

Rigdon at work in the Costume Shop

Costume Shop Manager Janson Fangio describes the clothing for this production of Pippin as having an "avant-gard expressionism" theme.


Fangio and Costume Designer Liv Rigdon have been diligently sewing and putting together costumes for the past several weeks. This is Rigdon's 5th year working with YouthRep and she is headed to college next year to study Costume Design!

Getting the Chef costume ready.

"Each character has a distinctive persona. One person's a chef...one person's a goth...we have a flight attendant and a pilot. We came up with personas and then abstracted them."

- Janson Fangio

Pippin

Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center

Onstage Aug. 1-4 | $10; $5 for children ages 12 and under | Buy tickets now!

The FAC's Open Late on Fridays!

For a limited time, come enjoy the FAC art galleries until 7p on a Friday night!

 We have some exciting news to share: starting this Friday, Aug. 2, the FAC's galleries will remain open until 7p every Friday though Sept. 13! 


We're keeping our art galleries open later than usual to give people more opportunities to experience our Permanent Collection and Charles Bunnell: Rocky Mountain Modern (closing Sept. 15).

BONUS! 
Every 10th visitor on Friday from 5-7p will receive a FREE Charles Bunnell catalog, courtesy of Virgina Moffett. Live musical performances will take place inside the galleries and glass corridor courtesy of the Colorado Springs Conservatory. Also, we'll have a bar open starting at 5p on these special Fridays.


Make a visit to the FAC part of your Friday evening plans— savor a cocktail, enjoy live music, and explore the art on view in our galleries!

The FAC's Open Late! 
Fridays, 10a-7p | $10 general admission, FREE for FAC Members
Dates: Aug. 2; Aug. 9; Aug. 16; Aug. 23; Aug. 30; Sept. 13

Pippin: Behind The Scenes!

The Youth Rep kids are busy rehearsing for their upcoming production of Pippin and having a blast in the process. The show is just a week away! Have you gotten your tickets yet? Check out these videos and get to know a few of the cast members.

Casey, Brooke, and Rebekah (in order of appearance) tell us what they enjoy about being in Pippin. They are all cast as 'players' in the show.

"Join us, leave your fields to flower! Join us, leave your cheese to sour! Join us, come waste an hour or two, doo-dlee-ee-doo!"

- Pippin, the musical

Pippin
Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center
Onstage Aug 1-4 | $10; $5 for children ages 12 and under | Buy Tickets Now!

Artist Spotlight: Edda Renouf

50 x 50: The Herbert and Dorothy Vogel Collection is on display for just three more short weeks! Beat the summer heat and come check out the amazing variation of artists and work in this collection, including pieces from Edda Renouf's series: Dance of Primary Colors.

Edda Renouf, 2003, Dance of Primary Colors- 1 and Dance of Primary Colors- 6, ink, pencil, and colored pencil on acrylic, FA 2009.12.35 and FA 2009.12.34.

"Materials speak to me and unexpected things happen. It is from a silent conversation between materials and imagination, from intuitive listening that the paintings and drawings are born."

- Edda Renouf

Artist Edda Renouf Image Source

Edda Renouf attributes the four elements of time, memory, sound, and music as the primary inspirations for her work. She has traveled the world for her art, spending time in Mexico, India, New York City and Japan. Renouf’s approach involves responding to the structure of the linen canvas and cotton paper on which she draws and paints, etching into the organic layers and physically removing threads from the surface. Within this process Renouf strives to reveal the abstract energy within the materials and, as she explains, “make the invisible visible.”  


50 x 50:
The Herbert and Dorothy Vogel Collection
On view May 11- Aug 11, 2013 | Tues- Sun, 10a- 5p

Artist Spotlight: Cheryl Laemmle

Have you had a chance to check out 50 x 50: The Herbert and Dorothy Vogel Collection? Hurry in— the exhibition closes August 11th! 

Cheryl Laemmle, Insects #5 (detail), 1995. Acrylic on sandpaper. Gift of Herbert and Dorothy Vogel.

Two sets of work by American artist Cheryl Laemmle are featured in the exhibition. Laemmle's paintings and drawings, inspired by nature but laden with symbolist suggestion, can present a mystery to viewers.  Laemmle’s paintings are at once childlike and ominous, often setting detailed, carefully painted depictions of birds and trees in surreal, dreamlike worlds. 

Cheryl Laemmle, Insects, 1995. Acrylic on sandpaper.  Gifts of Herbert and Dorothy Vogel.

Laemmle states that she uses images to “tell the story of her childhood and its impact on her life as an adult,” and conceivably creates an introspective atmosphere for the viewer to do the same.  Her five-part series Insects is simultaneously straightforward and perplexing, naturalistically rendered in form but including three non-insects in garish bright colors, straying from her characteristic muted earth tones.

Cheryl Laemmle, Camel and Three Trees, 1992. Acrylic on sandpaper. Gifts of Herbert and Dorothy Vogel.

50 x 50:
The Herbert and Dorothy Vogel Collection
On view May 11- August 11 2013 | Tues.- Sun. 10a- 5p

Pippin: The Kids Are Hard At Work!

Youth Rep's production of Pippin is just two weeks away and the cast and crew are working hard to perfect everything from their lines to the set. Here's a sneak peek into their intense and lively daily rehearsals!

Pippin

Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center

Onstage August 1-4 | $10; $5 for children ages 12 and under | Buy tickets now!

Youth Rep's Production Of Pippin Is Just Three Weeks Away!

Youth Rep is the FAC's five-week intensive training program for students interested in a career in performance and/or design and technical theater. The program is celebrating its 14th summer and putting on a fantastic production of the hit musical Pippin! The show tells the story of a young prince on a death-defying journey to find meaning in his existence. Will he choose a happy but simple life? Or will he risk everything for a singular flash of glory? 

Check out these clips and start getting excited! The show is onstage from August 1-4.

Pippin

Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center

Onstage August 1-4 |$10; $5 for children ages 12 and under | Buy Tickets Now!

2013 Young People's Art Exhibition Tour Is On Display

This is the 51st year of the prestigious Young People's Art Exhibition! This collection features incredibly talented young local artists from Kindergarten through the 12th grade and includes students from public, private, charter, and home schools. Come check out what the talented kids in your neighborhood are creating! 

Dominic Olson, 3D, Fountain Fort Carson High School, 12th Grade

Gracie Williams, Oil, The Vanguard School, 12th Grace

For several years the exhibition was produced at the FAC and now the show is juried and exhibited at the Imagination Space of Imagination Celebration in the Citadel Mall. This exhibition tour includes over sixty works of art and began in May at the Imagination Space. The tour will continue at the FAC through the month of July, moving to the Cottonwood Center for the Arts in August and then the Colorado Department of Education for the remainder of the year.

Maeve McCarthy, 2D, Rampart High School, 12th Grade

Sydney Sandberg-Lee, Ceramics, Cheyenne Mountain High School, 10th Grade

Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center

On view through July 27 in the FAC's Screening Room

Tues-Sun, 9a-5p

Artist Spotlight: Michael Clark

Michael Clark created Dorothy especially for Dorothy Vogel, who, with her late husband, has donated 50 works of art to the FAC as part of  Fifty Works for Fifty States: The Herbert and Dorothy Vogel Collection.

Clark lived and worked for years on the East Coast and is a founder of the Museum of Contemporary Arts in Washington, D.C. His art tends to feature neon colors and playful graphics, ironically poking fun at the Pop Art movement that influenced his work. 

Michael Clark, Dorothy, 1983-1985, construction, acrylic on wood, mirror, with collage, FA 2009.12.9. Image source.



Dorothy, a colorful mixed media piece, invites the viewer to peer inside as if through a window, finding his or her own reflection layered with familiar cultural icons.  The piece is an implied portrait of Dorothy herself when she gazes into the mirror.

 50 x 50:

The Herbert and Dorothy Vogel Collection

On view May 11 - Aug. 11, 2013 | Tues.- Sun., 10a-5p